Legal deadlines for provisional reception in Belgium: what the law imposes

1. Deadlines before reception

The contractor must summon the client in writing, at least 15 days before the reception date (standard practice in private construction — often extended to 30 days in the contract).

This summons must specify: date, time, place, identity of the summoned parties. Without proper summons, the reception is not opposable to the client.

2. Deadlines during and after reception

During reception: no legal deadline, the inspection lasts as long as necessary (2 to 4 hours in practice). After reception: the lifting of reservations deadline is fixed in the minutes — usual practice: 60 to 90 days depending on the nature of the defects.

The one-year warranty period runs from the provisional reception. During this year, the Breyne Law security deposit remains blocked.

3. Deadlines in case of dispute

In case of refusal of reception, the contractor has a reasonable deadline (typically 30 days) to correct and resummon. In case of tacit reception, some contracts provide for a presumption of acceptance after 15 days of effective occupation.

To manage these deadlines, expert support secures formal notices and limitation calculations.